A man who allegedly exploited Greece’s housing crisis and depressed job market to defraud scores of people over the past two years has been arrested in the central Athens district of Zografou, authorities said Thursday.
A police statement said the 27-year-old suspect is suspected of having taken €22,000 in two days alone from 21 apartment-hunters, in supposed deposits for a flat in the western suburb of Peristeri.
But the apartment was a short-term rental he had booked in the name of another scam victim, whose particulars the suspect had allegedly fraudulently acquired as part of a fake job interview.
Police said the suspect had conned 94 people out of a total of more than €85,000 since March 2024. He allegedly laid hands on people’s identity, banking and tax particulars after offering them fictitious jobs in shipping or the restaurant business.
Using that data, he allegedly opened bank accounts and rented flats for short periods on online platforms, which he then advertised as long-term, low-cost rentals, taking deposits from multiple victims to supposedly clinch the deal.
